My little Nemo!
Cancer survivor mum gives birth to baby boy using last frozen egg
A WOMAN has given birth to an ‘absolute miracle’ baby boy after IVF and having her ovaries removed as part of life-saving treatment for a rare cancer.
Stacey Broadmeadow, 38, was shocked to discover she had a million-to-one cancer but even more terrified at the thought it would rob her of her chance of motherhood.
Now, thanks to experts at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, Stacey is cancer free and managed to freeze her eggs, which led to the birth of baby Harry.
Stacey, from Stockport, said: “For me to be diagnosed with what I had, and to go through everything that I did, and for him then to be that little embryo that I was told wasn’t the best...I call him my little Nemo.
“In the film, Finding Nemo, Nemo was the last little egg left. So he’s my little Nemo. He’s my little miracle. He’s just so special. We’re going to have so much fun.”
In an interview with the Press Association, Stacey said Harry, born last November, has ‘always been wanted.’ “Ever since I was little I’ve always wanted a baby,” she said.
Stacey told how she first began to feel poorly in 2017 when she felt a sharp pain near her appendix.
A GP ruled out pregnancy and sent Stacey for an ultrasound scan where the radiographer noticed unusual signs. She then underwent a CT scan and blood tests, which included checking for markers for cancer. During further scans, experts noticed fluid in Ms Broadmeadow’s womb, leading to an MRI and referral to the Christie. An oncologist suspected Ms Broadmeadow had a very rare cancer called pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) and warned that she may lose her ovaries.
Stacey said: “I was devastated, absolutely devastated. I literally just thought, ‘Well, that’s it. I’m never going to be a mum. I’m never going to have the dream that I’ve always wanted.’”
Stacey said: “I was very fortunate that in between two operations, I was able to have my eggs harvested on the NHS. I went to St Mary’s Hospital (in Manchester) and had two rounds of egg freezing. I managed to get 17 eggs, which I’m very, very grateful for. I had two rounds of egg harvesting and then I had the second big operation, which was eight hours long.”
In 2021, the process of creating baby Harry began. She said: “You’d think that 17 eggs would be quite a lot, but it really wasn’t. They defrosted them and I was left with about eight useable eggs. We managed to get four embryos but only two then made it to the next level. So then I only had two embryos.
“One was transferred but unfortunately I miscarried with that one. And then the other embryo, which was Harry - they told me that it wasn’t the most viable embryo but they put him in the freezer anyway.
“And so, after I’d miscarried, I kind of thought the dream was over, and I was never going to have a baby.”
The final embryo was transferred in February last year and she could hardly believe her luck when she fell pregnant.
In Finding Nemo, Nemo was the last little egg left. So he’s my Nemo. He’s my little miracle Stacey Broadmeadow